Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an installation for the downhill transportation of passengers from a higher station, i.e., a mountain station, to a lower station, i.e. a valley station, by means of cars guided along a rail. The cars are equipped with the first of two interacting elements of an electromagnetic braking device, in particular with one or more permanent magnets, and the guide rail is equipped with the second elements, in particular braking strips made from an electrically conductive nonmagnetizable material, such as copper or aluminum, which interact with the first elements of the braking device.
In order to meet the operational safety requirements of such installations, as disclosed in my earlier, copending patent application Ser. No. 09/488,741 (see corresponding European patent application EP 1 026 061 A2), it is necessary, first, for each car to be equipped with one or more braking devices, which are matched to the loading of the car, specifically the weight of the one or more passengers that travel down in the car in question, and, secondly, for a device to be provided whereby a collision between consecutively descending cars is prevented.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an installation for moving persons from a mountain station into a valley station, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, aa installation for the downhill transportation of passengers from a higher station to a lower station, comprising:
a guide rail extending from the higher station to the lower station and cars guidable along the guide rail between the higher station and the lower station;
a brake system with interacting elements including first interacting elements mounted to the cars and second interacting elements mounted to the guide rail;
wherein each car is equipped with at least one of the first interacting elements of an operating brake and the at least one first interacting element is adjustable as a function of a load of the car, and with one or more first elements of a safety brake that is activatable during downhill travel of the car.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the brake system is an electromagnetic brake system having at least one permanent magnet forming the first interacting element. The second elements are preferably braking strips made from an electrically conductive nonmagnetizable material disposed to interact with the first elements of the brake system. In a further preferred embodiment, the braking strips are formed of copper or aluminum.
In other words, each car is equipped with one or more first elements, adjustable as a function of its load, of an operating brake and with one or more first elements, activatable during downhill travel, of a safety brake. As a result of the adjustability of the operating brake, the effect of the safety brake is matched to the current loading of the car. The safety brake provides control of the descending cars in such a way that collisions between consecutively descending cars during operation are excluded.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a testing station is provided at the higher station, by which testing station the one or more first elements of the operating brake can be set and by which the efficacy of the first elements of the operating brake and of the safety brake can be checked. Preferably, two rotatable testing disks made from electrically conductive, nonmagnetizable material, in particular copper or aluminum, and assigned to the first elements of the braking devices, together with a device for adjusting the one or more first elements of the operating brake relative to the position of the assigned testing disk and in addition a device for adjusting the one or more first elements of the safety brake from its inactive position to its active position are provided at the testing station. By rotation of the testing disks relative to the first elements of the operating brake and of the safety brake the efficacy and functionality of the first elements of the operating brake and of the safety brake provided on the cars can be checked at the testing station. Preferably, a first device for measuring the weight of the loaded car is additionally provided at the testing station, the outlet thereof being laid against the device for adjusting the one or more first elements of the operating brake, together with a second device for measuring the efficacy of the one or more first elements of the operating brake.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the first elements of the braking device are disposed in pairs lying opposite one another, these being laterally outside the testing disks and the braking strips respectively. The measuring devices are also preferably formed by force transducers, in particular pressure pickups.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the one or more first elements of the operating brake are adjustable relative to the car, in particular by means of a threaded rod, the drive of the setting device being controllable by the first measuring device. Furthermore, a release device may be assigned to the one or more first elements of the safety brake, whereby the latter can be adjusted from the inactive position into the active position. In this case, the release device can preferably be released by a further setting device, especially a setting spring. Preferably, a device for adjusting the one or more first elements of the safety brake is also provided at the testing station.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, there are provided appliances for monitoring, in particular for measuring, the distance between two consecutive descending cars along the course of the guide rail extending from the higher station to the lower station, by means of which appliances the devices for releasing the first element of the safety brakes can be controlled.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an installation for the downhill transportation of passengers from a higher station to a lower station, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.